When we launched Tech Startup Stories back in February, I didn’t know exactly where it would go. I just knew I wanted a space where founders could speak honestly, without the pitch decks or polish, about what it really takes to build something in B2B tech.
Twenty-five episodes later, I’ve learned more than I could have imagined. Not just about startups, but about the people behind them. The passion, the doubt, the decisions you never hear about on stage.
So in episode 26, our season finale, I’m taking a moment to reflect. Here’s what stood out.
Startups Are Built on Passion, Not Just Products
There’s no way around it. If you don’t deeply care about the problem you’re solving, building a company will break you. Every founder I spoke to this season had a real love for their product, their market, and most of all, their customers.
Aditya Jain at Passionfruit evolved his entire business to better serve what his audience needed. Alex Boyce at Fuzey tackled digital transformation in industries where people were still relying on fax machines. These weren’t opportunistic plays. They were missions.
Resilience Shows Up in All Kinds of Ways
Not every story was smooth sailing. Derry Holt from OneUp Sales faced a near collapse before rebuilding stronger than ever. Andy Lambert at ContentCal navigated tough lessons and built a team capable of delivering a successful exit. And Eli Portnoy at BackEngine taught us that sometimes clarity only comes once you've already succeeded, when you realise just how far you’ve drifted from the customer.
No One Has a Straight Path
What I loved most was how honest people were. There were pivots, plateaus, and false starts. James Hill at Flexys reminded us that you can’t scale without maturing your structure, your brand, and your thinking. Muhammed Shabreen at Actualize showed us what it means to build with purpose and not get distracted by every shiny opportunity that comes your way.
Some of the Best Founders Never Planned to Be Founders
Paul Barnes at Ovi.io didn’t set out to start a business. He saw a real problem in cybersecurity and couldn’t ignore it. Jabhir Nihal Singh at TraqCheck reimagined an outdated, saturated process using AI. Again and again, I saw people pulled into entrepreneurship because they cared deeply about solving something broken.
Co-Founders Make All the Difference
You can feel it in the interviews. When a co-founding relationship is strong, the whole company is stronger. George Smithies and Aaron Vousden from innDex brought such energy to the show, built on years of trust. The founders who made it through the hard moments almost always credited their co-founders for keeping them going.
Marketing Is Still Hard, but It’s Not Optional
As someone in marketing, I felt seen when James Kerr-Reid from Autelo laid out the reality. Branding, positioning, product naming, pricing — all of it matters, and all of it needs to be aligned with your audience. A great product won’t speak for itself. You have to know how to tell the story and how to evolve it as you grow.
So, What’s Next?
We’re taking a short break in August, but we’ll be back in September with a brand new season. And I’m making some intentional changes.
In season one, most of our founders were men. That’s a reflection of the industry, but we’re actively looking to shift that. Season two will bring you more female founders, more stories from underrepresented backgrounds, and more fresh perspectives on what it means to build in B2B tech.
We’ve also got some big moments already lined up, including new launches, bold pivots, and hard-won lessons from founders still in the thick of it.
If you’ve listened, shared, or subscribed, thank you. It means more than you know. This podcast started as an experiment, and it’s turned into something that’s helped me reconnect with the reasons I love this industry.
See you in September.
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